The president of Renamo yesterday described the National Council’s decision to expel veteran party member António Muchanga as “difficult and painful”, arguing that it was necessary to protect the party at a time of strong internal dissent.
“This session had to make a difficult and painful decision: the resolution concerning member António Muchanga,” Ossufo Momade said at the close of the third session of Renamo’s National Council in Maputo.
The National Council, Renamo’s decision-making body between congresses, today decided to expel António Muchanga from the party. The decision was approved by a majority of the approximately 200 voting members present at the meeting, as part of disciplinary proceedings relating to alleged violations of the organisation’s statutes.
“It was not the decision of one man; it was the decision of this National Council, the party’s sovereign body between congresses, taken in accordance with our statutes,” Ossufo Momade stated.
The decision comes amid criticism of Renamo’s current leadership, voiced in recent months by former guerrillas and veteran leaders, including António Muchanga, who has publicly called for Ossufo Momade to step down as party leader.
According to the Renamo leader, the expulsion of a member is never a cause for celebration for a political organisation, and he called for internal cohesion.
“The council decided to close this chapter; it decided to protect the institution. Therefore, we call on everyone, from this moment onwards, not to turn this decision into a campaign of hatred, public lynching or a festival of insults on social media,” he said.
For Ossufo Momade, the decision taken by the party’s internal bodies should bring the political dispute surrounding the case to an end.
“Party justice has already been done by the competent bodies. The case is closed. Let it also be closed emotionally. Let us turn the page,” he stated.
The Renamo leader also called for respect for the organisation’s principles and rules, particularly the decisions taken at that National Council meeting.
Renamo congress due in the second half of next year
At the same session, Ossufo Momade announced that Renamo’s next congress would take place in the second half of 2027, ruling out the possibility of a new leadership being elected this year, as advocated by some groups critical of the current leadership.
The party president nevertheless acknowledged that bringing the congress forward could be considered if the necessary financial resources were available.
Holding an extraordinary congress to elect a new leadership has been one of the main demands of those challenging Renamo’s current leadership. Earlier this month, Ossufo Momade announced that he would not stand for re-election at the next congress, without specifying the date on which it would be held.
For several months, former guerrillas have been demanding Ossufo Momade’s resignation, accusing him of mismanaging the party, failing to pay pensions and allowances, and being unable to respond to the current internal crisis.
The Renamo-backed presidential candidate in the 2024 general elections, party president Ossufo Momade, secured 6% of the vote, the worst-ever result for a candidate backed by the party, which also lost its status as Mozambique’s main opposition force.
Source: Lusa